British hostages are refusing to eat or drink, say Somali pirates

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The British couple kidnapped by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean are ill and refusing to eat or drink, according to one of their captors.

The claim will renew concern about the wellbeing of Paul and Rachel Chandler, and comes after it emerged that the crew of a Royal Navy vessel watched helplessly as the couple were taken hostage from their yacht Lynn Rival on October 23.

Despite carrying arms and sailing to within yards of the Chandlers and the kidnappers, the navy vessel did not intervene for fear of putting the couple’s lives at risk. The pirates have since